Cover Takuma Tanaka and Alfri Mohd Yusoff turn into the House of Haute Mess's Sassy and Sissy by night. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
Takuma Tanaka and Alfri Mohd Yusoff turn into the House of Haute Mess's Sassy and Sissy by night. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
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Singapore’s most referential drag act, get up to mayhem and mischief with their DIY haute couture, taking sartorial cues from Hitchcock and the highest echelons of fashion
By day, Takuma Tanaka is an unassuming pencil-pushing salaryman in finance and Alfri Mohd Yusoff is a quiet visual merchandiser with a beloved national shopping institution. But by night, the pair graces the brightest stages as the wickedly-funny and searingly-witty Sassy and Sissy, respectively, of the House of Haute Mess—the Lion City’s premier drag duo.
Be it Alfred Hitchcock’s emotionally complex blonde heroines or the magic only the highest form of fashion can bestow, their understanding of cultural—and sartorial—history are unrivalled in the local drag community. For this spread, the pair offers an enigmatic ode to cinema and couture.
Partners in real life, they started performing together at the behest of their fashionable friends in 2022. And it was during their debut right after the 14th Pink Dot SG rally last year that Takuma and Alfri were christened Sassy and Sissy—and the rest as they say is her-story.
From their personal relationship to the relationship they have with fashion, the inimitable couple tells us what life is like behind the seams.
In case you missed it: Exclusive: Tatler Singapore’s friends champion for true equality at the recent Pink Dot 2023
Above The House of Haute Mess channels John Galliano’s autumn-winter 2005 haute couture collection for Christian Dior. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
The House of Haute Mess channels John Galliano’s autumn-winter 2005 haute couture collection for Christian Dior. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
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How long have you been doing drag?
Alfri Mohd Yusoff (AMY): It was in 2015 when my friends and I wanted to dress up in drag for Halloween. It then became a yearly thing to just dress up. But in hindsight, I wouldn’t consider that proper drag.
Takuma Tanaka (TT): It’s been five years since I first got into full drag for my birthday. Prior to that, I was only dressing up for events but I wouldn’t say I was in actual drag.
What do you love about the art form?
AMY: Fundamentally, Halloween and watching RuPaul’s Drag Race made us want to try out drag. What we love about this art form is discovering the different personae within you and celebrating that. Once you have acknowledged that, it is expressing the freedom of creativity. The whole process of getting into drag is exhilarating.
How did you first meet and what drew you to each other?
AMY: We met at ZoukOut 2016—I know, of all places! And Taku wore a very interesting headgear that night, and I realised that he was so different from the rest of the partygoers that evening.
TT: Well, I liked the nose ring he had on that night. It was so cool. But my awe was short-lived because I found out it was fake!
How long have you been together?
TT: We’ve really lost count, but I think six years? Sometimes we feel it’s five? We don’t know, blame it on Mercury in retrograde, or Covid.
Above Their tribute to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963). Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
Their tribute to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963). Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
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When, how and why did you both decide to perform together?
TT: It all started when Bobby Luo—the brainchild of parties like Babyboy, Mismatch, Yum Yum Disco Dong and many other queer nightlife events—together with the local club kid community: Ritz Lim, Stefan Kwang and Nat Ng, who texted us to ask if we would like to perform on the night of Pink Dot last year. We were scared at first, but thought: “Hey, why not. This is our chance to show our drag and it really kicked off from there”.
How often do you both perform?
TT: Mentally, we perform every day. But in reality, it really depends on the party organisers, when they want to book us. We get invited to perform at Riot hosted by Singaporean drag legend Becca D’Bus the most.
What is Sassy and Sissy’s relationship like with fashion? How important is high fashion to your art?
AMY: I studied fashion design at NAFA (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts), from 2005 to 2008, so fashion has always been an integral part of me. Drag has been an outlet where I can articulate what I’ve always wanted to experiment. Haute couture, for example, is an experimentation of many things. I like to experiment with styling, construction, matching and un-matching things. What we like to wear really depends on the occasion. Some days we want to look stupid, while other days we want to communicate decadence for example. Some days we like coming across as scary, and on other days we are glamazons ready for the runway.
TT: As cliched as it is, fashion is my passion. Haute couture runway shows are a true work of art just like a painting or a sculpture. But it’s relevant to us brazen artists because we can imagine ourselves wearing it. That’s the allure of couture and that’s why I love attempting to recreate them!
What are some of your earliest memories of fashion?
AMY: During a study break for my O-Levels, I came across a newspaper article calling Christian Dior’s spring-summer 2003 haute couture collection absurd. And that was when I knew I wanted to study fashion because I thought that the collection was anything but. I saw logic in that chaos.
TT: I distinctly remember my sartorial awakening when I was around eight years old. I’d put together an outfit by myself before I went to school. There was an epiphany about how each of the articles of clothing I wore, all three of them, had to match one another in colour and texture.
Above The pair pays tribute to Richard Quinn’s autumn-winter 2021 collection. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
The pair pays tribute to Richard Quinn’s autumn-winter 2021 collection. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
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What is it about John Galliano’s creations that made you decide to recreate the couture look from Dior’s autumn-winter 2005 haute couture show?
AMY: Well, the fact that Galliano presented this look on the runway as a tribute to the great Monsieur Dior is inspiring. The late genius would always start his collections first by draping fabrics on the mannequin. And Galliano immortalising a work-in-progress in a gown was so mind blowing to me. I thought it was just so smart. I told Taku, “I don’t know how this is done, but I want to go through the pains of experimenting just to recreate this look”.
What do you like about Richard Quinn? How did the tribute to his autumn-winter 2021 collection come about?
AMY: Richard Quinn’s autumn-winter 2021 collection was a clever juxtaposition of fetish and floral, which created such an amazing tension between naughty and nice. We decided to recreate those looks with the help of our friends, Aaron Han and Gabby Gabbana for Halloween in 2021. Oh, we had so much fun!
Read more: Singapore fashion label Rye launches scarves that spread the message of love
Above A tribute to the Roaring Twenties. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
A tribute to the Roaring Twenties. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
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Who do you look up to in drag?
TT: Locally—and holistically—it would be the two Singaporean drag legends: Becca D’Bus and Kak Nina Boo. We have always been amazed by the costumes that Becca creates. They are always fresh, fun and ooze so much charm. We just love the way her brain works. Kak Nina has always been a figure to look up to when it comes to performance art, and she is never stingy about sharing tips. Internationally? Raja from RuPaul’s Drag Race and Sigourney Beaver from The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula.
What do you like about Alfred Hitchcock’s blondes? How did this look come about?
TT: It was the first Halloween outfit we made together. This was right after we got together, so we had to marry what Halloween meant for both of us. I like campy references, while Alfri likes horror elements, so we had to settle for something in the middle. And our tribute to Hitchcock’s The Birds was born.
Above A tribute to local drag legend Becca D’Bus. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
A tribute to local drag legend Becca D’Bus. Photography by Darren Gabriel Leow
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What is your favourite song to perform to?
AMY: To this day, my favourite has got to be Ramalama (Bang Bang) by Róisín Murphy. I first heard that song when I was just a student, and dedicating our first performance in the Hitchcock tribute was really such an accomplishment for us.
TT: Any song by Róisín Murphy, really! We both have a shared love for her. Her songs are always fun and inspiring.
What is your most memorable performance?
AMY: It’s got to be This is My Life by Shirley Bassey. Our performance involved us dressing up in sync on stage within three minutes or so, from corseting up, to gowning, accessorising, wigging up and even the final shower of perfume. We rehearsed so many times that every move was meticulously calculated and timed so no mistakes could happen. The crowd was howling at the end. It was such a great feeling!
Credits
Photography: Darren Gabriel Leow
Fashion Direction: Adriel Chiun
Stylist's Assistant: Nadra Nichols
Adriel Chiun is the Branded Content Editor of Tatler Singapore.
